//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 ~The Sun and The Moon~ // Story: The snow mare // by pegasis23 //------------------------------// Winter unfastened the amulet and flung it into the bushes that was right under the window. Her Destiny had came at last. To defeat the darkness within herself. Anyways,she didn't need any more corruption from the alicorn amulet. Shooting her other self a smoldering look,Winter managed to deflect away the attack and twirled before encasing her victim into an enclosure of ice. In a magical out burst,the other Winter broke free and let out beams of dark magic. "Ha!Look at you!Pathetic!Running away like the little foal you are.Come and fight me,if you dare."The other Winter crowed as Winter dodged the beams clumsily. "Grr...You made me freeze my own mother into ice..."Winter threw a huge ball of winter magic at the other Winter,causing the alternate doppelganger to stumble back and hit her head against the wall,"You made me kill innocent ponies..." "And you made me kill my friend."Winter stood on guard,"You are the pathetic one." The other Winter growled and flung a shadow ball at Winter,"Says the mare who's dodging attacks." Winter yelled as the shadow ball threw her back to a pillar.As other Winter stood up,Winter was quick to push her back. Winter stood up and was about to fire the killing shot when the other Winter smiled evilly and filled her hoof with dark magic and aimed it at Princess Celestia. "Stop or I will shoot!"Other Winter yelled. Recognizing the danger her mother was in,Winter stood down. "It seems that we....are at an impasse."Other Winter reached for her bleeding muzzle,messily wiping the blood off. "What about a trade,Princess?Your Mother's life in exchange for your own ..What do you think?"Other Winter turned into dark mist and materialized beside Winter. "Better to be dead,than to live a life of suffering....."Other Winter whispered into Winter's ear,"Let Celestia die,and I'll let bygones be bygones.I will spare your miserable life and possibly let you live..As a Queen.And I'll just go off.You wouldn't even know that I even existed." "Better to be selfless,than to be selfish."Winter uttered,stepping up,"Besides,you wouldn't kill our own mother.You got your love for her from me." "Ah!Here's the catch.I don't have any love for you."Other Winter smiled,pulling her hoof of dark magic away from Princess Celestia and aimed it for Winter. Winter cast a sad look at Princess Celestia before steeling herself.Her time had come. Winter whispered,"Go ahead." Other Winter smirked and released it on Winter,only to scream in pain as Winter took the damage. "ARGH!"Other Winter screamed,dissipating as Winter died,releasing Princess Celestia from her ice prison. "Winter!"Princess Celestia stumbled forward and crawled to Winter's side. "Winter...Nooo...Not you too...."Princess Celestia hugged Winter's body,crying,her fallen tears soon forming a puddle. A bright,shimmering blue light from Winter's body caught her attention. "What?"Princess Celestia breathed as Winter's body levitated high above the ground A sort of a magical aura escaped Winter's chest,splitting itself to parts and encircled around Winter before the light intensified. With a burst of silvery sparkles and snowflakes,Winter landed on the ground,alive.Getting back on her hooves,Winter unfurled her wings for the first time. Opening her eyes,Winter saw that her mother was free. As if to sense that she was conscious,her hair began to flow in ethereal waves. "Winter?"Princess Celestia couldn't believe her eyes. Winter was an alicorn. "Mom!"Winter rushed forward and embraced her mother,her mind clear of darkness and immortal. Hugging Winter,Princess Celestia felt relief flood her mind and her soul. "Winter...I..I thought that you were dead...."Princess Celestia choked. "I was dead?"Winter stepped back in shock. "The other you shot a powerful beam of magic....And I..I didn't do my duty to protect you....You...You died.."Princess Celestia hung her head. "Mom,I'm fine.Look at me now.Don't feel bad.The thing is,I'm still alive and look,I've got the flow-y hair,like yours!"Winter smiled,bringing her mother's eyes up to level with hers and admiring her hair. Smiling through her tears,Princess Celestia pulled Winter in for a hug once more,to assure herself that all of this was real,and not a dream. Winter waited anxiously behind the doors,listening to her mother who was behind those doors proclaim her deeds to the kingdom before a choir of mares and stallions marched in with banners decorated with her cutie mark and taking cue,Winter walked in and stepped in front of her mother. "The Princess Winter cometh Behold, behold A Princess here before us Behold, behold, behold Behold, behold (behold, behold) The Princess Winter cometh Behold, behold (behold, behold) The Princess is The Princess is here!" Princess Celestia smiled as she lowered a silver crown bejeweled with diamonds and crystals onto Winter's head,in a design of snowflakes. Blushing a little from the attention,cheers and most of all,a look of pride from Princess Celestia,Winter headed out to the balcony followed closely by her mother. Winter smiled and waved at the crowd happily before noticing that it...was snowing.Flashing back for a moment,she felt as though Princess Luna,Sweet Tea and Moonlight was by her side. Winter remembered the song that she sang to the ponies she cared most about. It was another snowy afternoon and Princess Celestia wasn't around. Looking outside,Winter was thrilled to see snow. Jumping about,Winter raced for the door and to the front of Princess Celestia's doors. Knocking on the doors excitedly,Winter sang,"Mom? Do you wanna build a snowmare? C'mon,let's go and play~ I never see you anymore. Come out the door, It's like you've gone away- We used to be best buddies And now we're not I wish you would tell me why!- Do you wanna build a snowman? It doesn't have to be a snowman. The doors opened,to reveal a butler.The butler looked at Winter with a ghost of a frown on his face,"Young Lady,your mother is busy right now and she is busy settling business.If you would keep down your noise,we would gladly appreciate it." Winter returned back to reality,only for more memories to pop up. Winter approached Sweet's doors a little more tentatively,afraid of being rejected but she knocked the doors nonetheless,"Do you wanna build a snowmare? Or ride our bikes around the halls I think some company is overdue I've started talking to the pictures on the walls- It gets a little lonely Mom and aunt is always busy now, Just watching the hours tick by- Do you wanna build a snowmare? It doesn't always have to be a snowmare.~" When she received no reply,Winter sadly walked off. And from then on,she didn't want to knock in fear of having doors slammed in her face. Until Moonlight Shimmer came along. A day before Moonlight's death,Moonlight had went to Winter's,in hopes that she could help her friend to be more happy. "Winter? Please,I know you're in there. Ponies been asking where you've been They say,'Have courage',and I'm trying to Just please let me in~ We only have each other. For the weekends No one to care for us~ ....Do you wanna build a snowmare..."Moonlight sank in defeat,before an idea,a shopping trip should be held, which led to her death. Winter snapped out of it as Princess Celestia nudged her to say a few words. Smiling and waving,Winter managed to speak a few words of thanks before making her way out for the parade. Repressing her feelings,Winter let out sprinkles of snow,much to the delight of the younger ponies as she continued on the chariot that looped back to the back yard of the Castle. Finally left alone to her thoughts in the garden,Winter could see that night has fallen and the moonlight shimmering on the bed of roses and on the shrubs of jasmine tea leaves. Smiling as she shedded tears,Winter whispered as she picked the white rose and held it close to her heart,"Do you want to build a snowmare..." The End